


Entomophobia

by TheKawaiifan



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 04:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21112988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKawaiifan/pseuds/TheKawaiifan
Summary: You've dropped out of the island challenge and left home. Determined to never go back, you've turned to Po Town as your new home. The town full of misfits and their leader seem intimidating, but they're actually really nice and welcome you. Looks like you're just going to fit right in here.There's just one little issue.The boss of this team is a bug type trainer. And you're terrified of bugs.Based on a head canon of mine where Guzma helps his grunts get over their fear of bugs.





	Entomophobia

The weather here was a constant state of downpour. It was as if this town had it’s own climate outside of the rest of the island. Where everywhere else was bathed in sunshine, this place had so much rain it was hard to believe this was still Alola.

Not that the weather mattered. To you, it was a small price to pay. You had already dropped out of the island challenge. You had already left home, and vowed to never return. There was nowhere else for you but here, and here was fine. Puddles splashed underneath your shoes as grunts escorted you through town. Through those puddles you can see the scribblings of graffiti. Shards from broken bottles. Bits of discarded wrappers and empty spray cans littered this town, and ever so shady-looking teenagers stared you down and sized you up. You wouldn’t admit it, but it did shake you up just a tiny bit. Between the run down mansions and misfits and the dark weather, the air did have somewhat of an oppressive feel.

One might feel intimidated by it all, but not you. That brave face you wore was genuine. This was going to be your new home now. After all, how bad could it be? The graffiti actually brought in much needed pops of color. One of the grunts glancing over at you had a boombox on his shoulders, and you actually quite liked the song it blasted. The group of kids over in that corner over there were busily smoking kush together, and seemed to be having a good time. Even if every single one of these people were essentially the bad guys, even if everyone was no doubtedly carrying some form of baggage, there were certainly some good things to find here. And besides, are you really any different?

Surely these jitters are just the nerves of being the new kid. You’ll find your place here.

You did not get much more time to wonder how everyone here didn’t get pneumonia from wearing tank tops in the rain before you’ve entered the mansion. Like the rest of the town, this place was a mess. The carpet smelled of alcohol and tobacco. More grunts lazed about. There was a giant chandelier on the floor, having evidently crashed down some time ago. Instead of moving it or repairing the damage, this buildings residents seemed content to just weave and navigate around the mess. Your guide led you through the place, even asking you to climb a slick and wet roof to reach the boss. Maybe you’d talk to him about safety later.

“Yo boss! This the kid we were telling ya about! Says they wanna join the team!” Your guide called out. This is it. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. All you have to do is impress this man and you’re in! Come on, you can do this!

You dared to look up, and seated in his throne was the infamous boss of Team Skull himself. His bleach white hair was wild, distinctly shaped sunglasses propped up against his skull. His thick brows and purple eyeshadow seemed to only make his stare all the more intense. A strong nose and strong jawline helped with that as well. He was clad in a black track suit, protecting the man from the elements outside yet still somehow appropriate for the greater Alolan climate. His pants so baggy one couldn’t easily locate where his knees even were. Dangling from his neck was a single gold chain necklace, the emblem of his team displayed with pride.

“Thanks B. Now git!” The boss spoke with a harsh and gravelly voice; though there was a particular cackle to it. His voice was low and rough, but his throat emitted a high pitched vibration. It commanded a certain authority. You made sure to catalogue it’s sound away for later. It will certainly be the voice you respond too in the near future.  
“Yes boss! Break a leg, newbie” the grunt clapped you on the shoulder and left.

And in that very instant, your guide was gone and you were left alone with the team leader. You could feel your nerves tensing, mind alert and attention given to the man in front of you. Your entire future rests in this man. “So, you gotta name?” He asked. Without hesitation you state it to him. “Mmm. Nice to meetcha. I’m ya boi Guzma” he introduced. “So what brings you to the shithole side of the island?”

At that request, you proceeded to tell him your story. How you had failed in the island challenge, and just what had pushed you to leave home. You don’t tell this man all the dirty little details of your past, as you’re not that close. He doesn’t need to know. A summarized version of the story will do just fine. And this man, ya boi Guzma, he listened to you. It wasn’t a lazy tune out, you could see it in the way he made eye contact that he was giving you his full attention. He was listening to you, and was present in this very moment.

When you were finished, the boss crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. “Hmm, sorry to hear ‘bout all dat, kid” he said. He made a huff, like he was making up his mind. “Look, I wanna help ya, but I gotta know what you can do. Any experience?” You shook your head.  
“No sir. Is that a problem?” You asked, your voice betraying a tinge of anxiety despite your insistence of bravery.  
“Wu- no! Nah! Don’t worry about it. I can work wit dat. Come on, just tell me what you can do fer me. What do you have to add to the team. Come on kid, it can be anything” he assured you, and suddenly your defenses seemed to waver a tad. It was still up however, so the feeling was overall unsettling. Teetering on the edge between trust and anxiety. Remembering to breathe, you answer his question.  
“Well, like I said, I do not have much experience beyond stealing from the cookie jar as a kid. But I am more than willing to try for you, Guzma. I’ve heard a lot of things about your team out on the streets; that Team Skull is where dropouts like me go, and that the leader is a strong and intimidating man who wins every time” you repeated those street side rumors, leaving out the deadbeat loser part. Guzma meanwhile had his arms crossed, listening to you closely. “You’re the kind of leader I want to follow and learn from, and if that means drawing graffiti or stealing someone’s Pokemon then, okay! I’ll do it! I’ll battle anyone you throw me at!” You promised, trying ever so dearly to win this man’s favor. At the mention of battles, the man cocked a brow.

“So you think yer a tough battler, eh?” He questioned. Sure, you did drop out of the island challenge, but that didn’t make you a slouch! You’ve got this! You can take a few youngsters and their ratatta! You asserted this fact, feet planted firmly in the booze soaked floors. “Heh, mind if I test ya out then? I gotta a lil guy in here needing some exercise” he asked, pulling out a pokéball.

It was stupid, going up against an undefeated opponent. Yet, here you are. Agreeing to a challenge you know you’re not going to win. “Bring it on, sir! I’ll take anything you throw at me!” You asserted, calling out your partner.  
“Hmph, I like yer spirit, kiddo. Spinarak! Beat em down!”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The moment the Pokémon had materialized, that sound escaped from you. You jumped back reflexively, and feel an unpleasant twisting in your stomach. Teeth clenched, eyes wide and brows furrowed, your heart raced as you stared at that monstrosity of a Pokémon with absolute terror. Your muscles stiffened, yet contradictorily were ready to sprint at a moments notice. You were frozen. Deerling in the headlights.

“Waz wrong? Scared of bugs?”

Your vision jerked in the direction of your future boss’ voice. “N-no! Not at all!” You bluffed, hating how you stuttered. “I….I’m just stunned by your strength, sir” a blatant lie, but what’s flattery gonna hurt?  
“Well, don’t be a wimpod now. Fight me kid. And drop the ‘sir’ thing already.” He urged. Right! The battle! C’mon, you can do this. Just win this one fight and you’ll be in the team! You can do it! Just ignore those black and yellow spindly legs or that toxic horn or even those deep beady black eyes that stared into your soul.

….Here goes nothing. Pointing a shaky finger, you gave your partner the first command of the battle. You forced confidence and cool-headedness, though your voice still wavered with each order. In spite of your fear, you couldn’t seem to tear your eyes off of the opponent. That thing has too many legs, and they move quickly with an almost ghostly silence. Though knowing the markings on it’s bright green body was not an actual face, the way it emoted and sneered just gave you the willies. Upon coming closer to you mid-battle, you instinctively jumped backwards. Anything to put some more distance between you and that monstrosity. Your partner knew of your fear of bug type Pokémon, and did it’s very best to defend you against this threat. But alas, the battle soon came to an end, with the big bad Guzma crowned as the victor.

Defeated, you held up the Pokéball and recalled your fallen partner. “Ya did good, Spinarak. Come back here” Guzma called out to his Pokémon. You gawked as the creature scuttled through the carpet, up the throne and onto the boss’ tattooed forearm. Your stomach lurched as it’s blood red mandibles nibbled at the pokébean the boss held out for it.

But beyond your aversion to all things creepy and crawly, there was another thing making you feel down: your loss. You lost the battle, and to a relatively weak and common Pokémon at that. There’s no way you’re getting in the team now. “I’ll get going now. You have a good day, Guz-”  
“Ya leave when I say you can” you were cut off by the booming sound of the boss’ voice. You were left feeling surprised and rattled, the suddenness of it leaving your bones shaking. Looking back at the boss, you see that he had stood and walked over to you and….for the love of the tapu, he is T A L L. The man was over 6 feet tall while slouching! Not only were you intimidated by the sheer size of the team boss, but also by the bug still perched on his forearm. You shifted in your shoes nervously, trying to maintain eye contact with the boss as he knelt down to your level. “Kid, imma need you to be real wit me real quick: are you scared of bugs?” He asked. Your eyes darted between the skull boss and his Pokémon, it’s deep black beady eyes staring right back at you. While some would consider it’s expression to be of curiosity, the only thing it filled you with was dread. Lips sealed from you chewing on them, you hesitated before whimpering out a yes. “Thought so” Guzma commented.

“’Twas real obvious, ya kno? Yer body language’s so expressive yer practically an open book!” He pointed out. Furrowing your brows, you exhaled and deflated a little. Being so easy to read just felt so shameful. “Aye! Stop feeling so down” he spoke, his voice having softened considerably. Even his expression was suddenly much more gentle, those thick brows having relaxed from that stern expression he wore before. “You have potential kid. Yer a tough cookie to have gone through what you did, and yer gutsy and fearless enough to take me on” the man praised. “But ya let that fear get to ya, so you couln’t be there 110% for yer Pokémon. That’s why you lost” listening to his words, it’s like this man had just seen straight through you. Thinking back on that battle, yeah. You weren’t there for your partner. You were so distracted by the spinarak that all your orders came out flimsy and unsure. Not only was your own judgement impaired, but your insecurity made your Pokémon anxious. It was no wonder you failed so hard.

“I can help you with that, ya kno?”

“Huh?”

Guzma’s offer came so suddenly, you felt rather surprised. “I dunno if you ever heard on the streets out there, but I actually am a Bug Type Master. I love the ever living shit out of these buggers, and I have way bigger and scarier mons than this lil guy” he informed you, casually giving the spinarak some little scritches. “Part of getting stronger is overcoming your fear, ya kno?”

“I’ll make ya a deal. How about I letcha join the team and help you wit yer fear? It’ll just make your life around here easier in the long run, trust me” Guzma offered. Your lips parted slightly open at the offer, and you stared in disbelief as you thought it all over. Up until this point, you’ve never bothered to question or challenge your fear. You’ve merely only accepted it and were content to simply avoid bug types as much as humanly possible. But now that you were turning to a street gang, the circumstances were just a little different. A part of you recoiled at the thought of living somewhere infested with bug pokémon, but it wasn’t like you had anywhere else to go. Forcing yourself to think rationally while that thing was staring at you, you agreed to the plan.

“I mean, I’m going to hate it, but okay” you shrugged, reaching out to shake his hand. With a satisfied grin, your new boss reached to shake yours as well an- NOPE! That spinarak is still on that arm! That is way too fucking close for your comfort! You leaned away and refused to take his hand. Guzma just laughed at your behavior before asking the Pokémon to hang out on his back for awhile. It crawled over to the spot in question, those thin spindly legs ignoring the laws of physics. Yeggh. At least it was further away from you.

“Looks like we’ve got a lotta work to do, kiddo” Guzma observed. “Listen, I’m willin’ to forgive any grubbin or cutiefly you mighta chased outta the house wit a swatter, but if you fucking dare to hurt any of my bugs, yer ass is outta the team. Got it?” He threatened, staring at you with those intense eyes again. The mere thought of being kicked out alone made you compliant to that condition, but those daggers really sealed the deal.

“Got it. It’s a deal, boss” you agreed to his terms, finally shaking the boss’ hand.


End file.
